Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

News about Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 21, 2015

Study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds Philip II of Macedonia, father of Alexander the Great, may be buried in different tomb on Great Tumulus hill in northern Greek town of Vergina than previously thought; study is based on scanning and radiography of skeletal remains. MORE

Jun. 16, 2015

Study in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds juvenile moon jellyfish that lose limbs rapidly reorganize remaining limbs in order to maintain symmetry. MORE

Jun. 2, 2015

Study in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds many large herbivores are able to coexist in Africa because each has distinct diet. MORE

May. 26, 2015

Analysis in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds 'sleeping beauties,' or scientific papers whose importance is not evident until years after publication, are common. MORE

May. 5, 2015

Study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that households in Bradford County, Pa, had traces of 2-Butoxyethanol or 2BE, compound found in Marcellus Shale drilling fluids. MORE

Apr. 7, 2015

Study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates progress by researchers who are trying to develop a test that will detect chronic traumatic encephalopathy in living patients for first time; study included 14 retired NFL players who suffered symptoms of disease. MORE

Mar. 24, 2015

Study in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that corridors of land free from tsetse fly may have allowed cattle herders to reach southern Africa from Central Africa without being stopped by sleeping sickness that the fly spreads. MORE

Mar. 10, 2015

Study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that tropical plant Heliconia is successfully pollinated only by two types of hummingbirds. MORE

Mar. 3, 2015

Study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that India's high infant mortality rate can be blamed on relatively poor health of mothers; many young women are severely anemic due to poor sanitation and cultural bias that allows them less food than other family members. MORE

Mar. 3, 2015

Study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences draws link between global warming, severe drought in Syria from 2006 to 2009 and country's current military conflict; cites studies that show drought was factor in creating social stresses that eventually led to 2011 uprising against Pres Bashar al-Assad. MORE

Feb. 24, 2015

Media analysis published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by the University of Vermont and the Mitre Corporation finds that news articles, books, websites, social media posts and other forms of communication contain more positive words than negative words; finding confirms Pollyanna theory of positivity bias and upends perception of negative news dominance. MORE

Feb. 23, 2015

A study with premature infants demonstrated that a mother’s voice and heartbeat may help the developing brain grow. MORE

Feb. 17, 2015

Study in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports that luna moths with tails can use their tails to generate sound that fends off predatory bats. MORE

Feb. 10, 2015

Study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests extinction of many species endemic to Australia has been caused by introduction and procreation of feral cats and red foxes starting in late 1800s; lead author Prof Jon Woinarski of Charles Darwin University holds 10 percent of Australia’s land mammal species have been wiped out as result. MORE

Feb. 10, 2015

Dr J William Schopf study in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports that bacteria living beneath ocean floor appear not to have evolved for two billion years due to static nature of their environment. MORE

Jan. 27, 2015

Dr Stephen M Rich study in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that whole, dried artemisia plants, base ingredient of anti-malarial drug artemisinin, work better to prevent malaria than drug does. MORE

Jan. 20, 2015

Youyou Wu study in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports that researchers have developed algorithm that can predict person's personality more accurately than their friends and family by using their Facebook profile. MORE

Jan. 13, 2015

Dr Robert F Lachlan study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports that sparrow songs can take on vastly different meanings depending on small variations in context and repetition. MORE

Oct. 28, 2014

Study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports that bright colors that appear on wings of male fruit flies when held against dark background are characteristic that female fruit flies use in making mating decision. MORE

Sep. 16, 2014

Study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that contaminated drinking water in areas where natural gas is produced from shale is most likely caused by leaky wells rather than hydraulic fracturing. MORE

Sep. 5, 2014

Study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent who have tested positive during random screenings for genetic mutations that cause cancer have high rates of breast and ovarian cancer regardless of family history of disease; finding calls into question practice of regular screenings for mutations only if they report family history. MORE

Sep. 2, 2014

Team of mathematicians and engineers publish study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finding that New York City could reduce taxi fleet of 13,500 by 40 percent if riders were willing to share cabs; report that change could unclog traffic, conserve fuel and fight air pollution. MORE

Aug. 19, 2014

Study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that poachers killed an estimated 100,000 elephants across Africa from 2010 to 2012; number represents huge spike in continent's death rate of elephants because of increased demand for ivory. MORE

Aug. 5, 2014

Study in journal The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concludes that tiny part of brain known as habenula keeps track of painful experiences and helps determine how we will react to them in future. MORE

Aug. 5, 2014

Two studies in journal The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences question previous claim that fossilized human bones discovered in cave on Indonesian island of Flores represent distinct species of tiny, early human known as Homo floresiensis; first paper holds that bones do not necessarily represent new species, while second posits that Down syndrome may be responsible for small skull size. MORE

Jul. 6, 2014

Gray Matter column by Profs Amy Wrzesniewski and Barry Schwartz describes their research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, on motives of cadets to attend United States Military Academy at West Point; reflects on what their findings suggest about motivating students and teachers. MORE

Jun. 24, 2014

Dr Peter N Steinmetz study in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences supports theory that individual memories are stored across many neurons in hippocampus region of brain, rather than in single neurons. MORE

Jun. 17, 2014

Scientists have carried out computational analysis of trial records collected between 1674 and 1913 at London's Central Criminal Court; analysis, which uses computers to review very large trove of documents, shows evolution of criminal justice system and represents new way to do research; study is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. MORE

May. 6, 2014

Nine-thousand-year-old stone structure used to capture caribou has been discovered 120 feet beneath surface of Lake Huron; researchers reporting in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences say it is most complex structure of its kind in Great Lakes region. MORE

May. 2, 2014

Widely cited study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says some 4.1 percent of death row defendants are falsely convicted; opponents of capital punishment says they are not surprised by figure, but prosecutors dispute findings, saying it is overstated. MORE

Apr. 30, 2014

Scientists have questioned why 1918 influenza pandemic, which infected a third of all people on earth and killed estimated 50 million, was so deadly; particularly puzzling is fact that people in their late 20s were at greatest risk of dying; study in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Scientists suggests that answer lies in timing and way in which virus mixed with other strains prior to the pandemic. MORE

Apr. 16, 2014

Study appearing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that Scottish and American scientists have found a way to prevent flu infections that could, in theory, be used to fight an epidemic long before a vaccine is ready; method, successfully tested only in mice thus far, is a nasal spray of engineered proteins that coat the receptors in the nose and throat to which flu viruses attach. MORE

Apr. 8, 2014

Dr Claudia Fritz study in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that accomplished violinists cannot distinguish between new and old instruments, giving lie to accepted idea that older instruments are superior. MORE

Mar. 25, 2014

Study by team of marine scientists shows embryos of tuna and amberjack that were exposed to crude oil collected from Deepwater Horizon spill developed heart and other deformities that will likely kill some developing fish and shorten lives of others; findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, will be used in damage assessment against BP. MORE

Mar. 25, 2014

Study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences confirms that humans caused extinction of the moa, a large, flightless bird that was once dominant species in New Zealand; conclusion, long suspected but never proved, was reached using DNA evidence. MORE

Mar. 4, 2014

Team of researchers has retrieved 30,000-year-old virus out of Siberian permafrost that remains capable of infecting amoebas; though virus is not threat to humans, its viability raises possibility that disease-causing viruses may also be lurking in permafrost; team describes its findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. MORE

Feb. 25, 2014

Study in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports that bottle gourds, widely used in early Native American societies, originated in Africa; researchers used relatively new method of genetic analysis called high-throughput sequencing to arrive at conclusion about the plants. MORE

Feb. 11, 2014

Study in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that mosquito sperm may have sense of smell, finding that could suggests ways to control spread of disease-carrying insects. MORE

Jan. 21, 2014

Paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that emissions from China’s export industries carry across the Pacific Ocean and contribute to air pollution in the Western United States; research is first to quantify how air pollution in the US is affected by China’s production of goods. MORE

Jan. 21, 2014

Study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that humans and other primates may mature more slowly and live longer than other mammals in part due to slower metabolic rates; primates burn about half as many calories per day as mammals of comparable size, and not simply because the other mammals are more active. MORE

Jan. 7, 2014

Study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports that Rice University researchers have developed rapid malaria test that uses laser pulse, eliminating need to draw blood; test has yet to be tried on humans, but has shown high accuracy in mice. MORE

Dec. 31, 2013

Study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that Hazda people of Tanzania, who are among last hunter-gatherer groups on earth, follow pattern similar to that of sharks, honeybees and other foraging animals while hunting for food. MORE

Dec. 17, 2013

Re-examination of remains discovered in cave at La Chapelle-aux-Saints in southwestern France supports claims that Neanderthals carried out complex funeral practices; findings are published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. MORE

Dec. 3, 2013

Study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that hormone oxytocin, when administered to children with autism, can generate increased brain activity in region associated with social connections. MORE

Nov. 26, 2013

Analysis published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that methane emissions due to human activity were roughly 1.5 times greater in the United States in 2007 and 2008 than prevailing estimates; findings underscore methane's significant contributions to rising temperatures. MORE

Nov. 26, 2013

Study appearing in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that grape varieties from various wine-growing regions carry distinctive patterns of fungi and bacteria; discovery could provide scientific underpinning for concept of terroir. MORE

Nov. 26, 2013

Study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that baboons vaccinated against whooping cough can still carry the illness in their throats and spread it; finding could provide important clue to puzzling spike in the incidence of whooping cough across country. MORE

Nov. 5, 2013

Astronomers report in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that analysis of data from NASA's Kepler spacecraft suggests there could be as many as 40 billion habitable Earth-size planets in galaxy; says one out of every five of galaxy's sunlike stars has planet the size of Earth circling it in Goldilocks zone--not too hot, not too cold. MORE

Oct. 22, 2013

Scientists report finding new way to grow hair in breakthrough that may lead to better treatments for baldness; say procedure, tested in mice, would not just relocate hair, as in transplants, but would increase its amount; findings appear in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. MORE

{"type":"article","show_header_text":false,"header":"ARTICLES ABOUT THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES","query":"(org = \"PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES\")","search_query":"(organizations:\"PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES\")","num_search_articles":"10","show_summary":true,"show_byline":true,"show_pub_date":true,"hide_thumbnails":false,"show_kicker":false,"show_title":false,"show_related_topics":true,"show_rad_links":true,"show_subtopics":true,"exclude_topics":"PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES","more_on_header":"MORE ON PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND:","alternate_index_subidx":"all.main","show_thumbnails":true}